


Two men and a dog

by Janice_Lester



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-13
Updated: 2012-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-27 14:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/663243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janice_Lester/pseuds/Janice_Lester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah loves his new dog-walker pretty much on sight.  Zach takes slightly longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two men and a dog

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "service" square of my 2012 [](http://kink-bingo.dreamwidth.org/profile)[kink_bingo](http://kink-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) card. An AU in which Chris is a dog-walker and Zach is a film producer. Possibly schmoopy. Beta'd by [](http://vee-dub.livejournal.com/profile)[vee-dub](http://vee-dub.livejournal.com/).

Zach met Chris in March.

“Actually, I’m not a huge dog person,” Chris said, that first day. “They just seem to like me.” He coloured up beautifully then, as if he thought he’d just cost himself the job. “I mean, we get on fine, dogs and me. I guess my heart’s just a little bit hardened against fluffiness and puppy dog eyes. Actually, I think it kinda helps when I have to do something they don’t like, bath ‘em or trim toenails or whatever.”

“You do grooming too?” Zach asked, eyebrows rising. That could really cut down on his errands.

“Sure. Also training, dog-sitting, and I take an old lady’s prize poodle for a trot around the show ring a couple times a year. Ketchup Bottle’s Kelsey, perhaps you’ve heard of him?” He pranced around Zach’s kitchen to demonstrate the procedure, holding up an imaginary leash, as if he suspected Zach of never having seen a dog show. When he looped back around to Zach, he stood a little straighter, as if he’d just managed to remind himself of his own awesome. “So, do I get to meet your charming furbaby?”

Zach managed to hide his laugh behind a cough and a hand. “You, uh, probably shouldn’t say ‘furbaby’ again.”

“Gotcha.”

Zach headed to the closed bedroom door behind which Noah could be heard squeaking and whining with his eagerness to meet the newcomer. “Brace yourself.”

Noah _loved_ him, of course. Completely. Immediately. In a way that actually made Zach a little jealous.

This was probably a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

He held out his hand.

“You’re hired.”

***

By June, the gorgeous—and surprisingly well-read—Chris Pine was a fixture of their lives. So much so that Zach had seen fit to have him come four times a week instead of two. It was an extravagance, but one he could afford, and although he’d initially felt a little guilty that he was fobbing off important parts of Noah’s care on someone else, he’d come to realise that it actually made his time with Noah extra special when fewer of the things they did together were done because they were obligatory. Chris took care of four walks out of the weekly minimum of seven, and some playtime and grooming as well, so if Zach sometimes doubled up on those things it was because he wanted to.

And it wasn’t as if Chris, with his bright smile and his svelte physique, was hard on the eyes.

“There you are!” Chris absently passed Zach a coffee while keeping most of his attention on Noah. The little traitor was virtually levitating in his excitement. (Zach had brief visions of his tail wagging forcefully enough to work like a rotor-blade and helicopter him around the room. Knowing Noah, he’d then spot a passing squadron of pigs, take off through an open window, and not return until he’d chased them well out of LA and taken a triumphant victory lap…)

“So, you two are good for an hour and a half?”

Chris smiled that easy smile of his. “Sure thing, boss. We’ll stay out of your hair. Go, relax.”

He made shooing motions. Even that was adorable. Damn, but Zach had it _bad_. He should get himself out of there before he could do or say anything stupidly besotted. Or, you know, he could stay and admire…

“So, Noah, my man. Are we going to have a _bath_ today?”

Zach sighed happily, inhaling caffeinated goodness and admiring the way Chris spoke to his dog in actual adult words and complete sentences. “Thanks for this,” he said, waving his cup.

Chris, who’d been bending down to be closer to Noah—and showing his very fine ass to excellent advantage in the process—turned his head and aimed a ridiculously appealing smile at Zach. Shrugged. “It was on my way.”

Zach doubted it, but he wasn’t about to argue. More pleasant to tell himself it was an overture of actual friendship, and not just a small bribe to keep the boss happy, or something Chris had ordered for himself and then decided he didn’t want, or any of a dozen other possibilities, than to ask and risk being told what he didn’t want to hear. He made a mental note to add enough to this week’s pay envelope to cover the drink. “I’ve got work to do; I’ll be in my office. Let me know if you need anything.”

Chris saluted.

As Zach walked away, he could hear Chris cheerfully expounding on the subject of back yards, hose pipes, and bath time.

***

August. The latest film was trailing through the final stages of post, which left Zach working from the home office a lot, considering location scouts’ reports for the next project and reading potential scripts for the one after that. He liked being at home, surrounded by all the comforts of home and, more importantly, his pets, but it was alarming how often minor disasters seemed to crop up to distract him from all else.

“I totally know a guy who can help you with that,” Chris said, eyeing Zach dubiously as he headed back into the bathroom with a wrench. Noah butted against his leg, gave an over-the-top pathetic whimper around the brand new tennis ball in his mouth. “Just a second, Noah, if you would.” Noah quieted, sat, and settled for merely looking up at Chris with longing in his eyes.

“I can handle it,” Zach insisted.

Chris looked distinctly disappointed as he broke eye contact. “Oh, well, if you change your mind…” He waved vaguely, then turned and followed Noah out towards the back yard.

Zach, of course, soon discovered that yes, he was indeed no plumber, and furthermore he didn’t really shape up as a home handyman, either. He could not, in fact, handle it. He was rather bedraggled and his shoes half-drowned when Chris came back in again, Noah panting happily at his heels. “I believe you said you know a guy?”

Chris looked him up and down, smirking. “Uh huh.”

“A short-notice, cheap kinda guy?”

“Yup.”

“Is it you?”

“Dude, no, you should never, ever trust me with tools. Kitchen utensils, yes. Hair clippers, yes. Monkey wrenches, no.”

“It’s a pipe wrench, actually.” Zach actually felt a little puffed up, a little of his confidence restored, to realise that _he_ knew what the tool he had over his shoulder was called and _Chris_ didn’t.

Chris frowned. “Really? There’s different types of wrenches? That’s probably the sort of thing my dad shoulda taught me. You know, instead of how to block a scene, how to find your light, how to learn lines real fast, yadda yadda. Then I might actually have _used_ something he taught me. But no, my guy’s a plumber. Well, apprentice plumber. Pretty sure he said he had time off this week. Lemme call him and see if he can come over.”

“I’d be much obliged.”

Chris’s hand darted forward, and for an instant Zach thought he was going to be struck. But the hand landed warmly on his cheek, and the thumb only brushed thoughtfully over his nose. “You’ve got a little grease there, boss.”

He really did have very blue eyes.

“So, I’ll just, uh…”

“Yeah.”

When Zach returned to the lounge, dry and grease-free, Chris looked up from the tug of war he was conducting with Noah from the couch and somehow gave the thumbs-up without dropping the cell he held wedged between shoulder and ear.

Two hours later the chaos had been driven from Zach’s bathroom, Chris’s friend had departed with a wink and a self-satisfied announcement that “my work here is done”, and Chris himself was smiling a little shyly while Noah nosed impolitely at his pocket for treats.

“So, do you need anything else?”

“No, man, you’ve already gone substantially beyond the remit of the professional dog-walker. I’d feel guilty asking you for anything more today.”

Chris actually looked rather disappointed at that. But he shouldered his bag and exchanged quick silent farewells with Noah. Clapped Zach on the arm as he passed. “See you both Thursday. Take care of each other, okay?”

***

In early September, Zach had to fly to an out of state filming location at very short notice to extinguish figurative fires and put the metaphorical brakes on some nasty cost overruns. It was a huge relief to approach Chris and find him willing not only to dog-sit but to house- and cat-sit. There was no reason Zach couldn’t just call his brother like he usually did, or one of his dog-owning friends, it was just… the way Chris interacted with Noah gave Zach confidence he could fly away and not feel too anxious about his beloved pup while he was gone. Chris would take excellent care of him, and, more than that, Noah loved him to bits. Spending time with Chris was something normal, everyday, that he enjoyed, and if anything would compensate for missing Zach, for the confusing change in routine, that might.

“He’s only allowed up on the bed if you invite him,” Zach explained, five minutes after he was supposed to be in the car and heading for the airport. “And don’t let him convince you that he’s allowed under the covers.”

Chris laughed. “Okay. Got it. No being under the covers, no yummy treats without corresponding drop in daily food rations, no eating of postal workers, no tracking of mud through the house, no chewing on daddy’s socks no matter how delicious they may look. I think that about covers everything. Have a good trip.”

“Thanks.” Zach was quite sure he wouldn’t, this was going to be stress city. “I’ll try.”

“Bring me back a snow-globe!”

“I’m going to Florida.”

“A glitter-globe, then. I’m sure they have those. With like dolphins or mermaids or something.”

“Yes, princess. I will find time in my hectic schedule to see to all your tacky souvenir needs.”

“That’s all I ask,” Chris said sweetly, and plucked the house-keys from Zach’s hand.

***

“Hey, you’ll be doing something awesome and Hollywood for Halloween, right?”

Zach groaned. “Probably. I’ll have to ask my assistant.”

“Well, if it’s something you can ditch, you’re totally welcome at our Halloween party.”

“Our? As in you and the… girlfriend?”

“I am sadly single, alas, alack. It’s a family and friends thing, at my folks’ house, so it’ll have a sad lack of nudity, crudity, and unrestrained debauchery. But I promise some awesome, if you can make it. And also my best crab cakes.”

“You know you don’t have to do that. Invite me, I mean. You’re only required to be nice to Noah.”

“Dude, it isn’t professionalism. It’s friendship. Unless you’re not interested, in which case—” he shrugged “—that’s fine.”

Zach smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m interested.” That sounded too significant, so he added, “Can always use more friends, right?”

“Of course,” Chris said, and hugged him. It was warm and sweet-smelling and all too brief. Zach tried not to sigh wistfully as he pulled away. Well, not out loud, anyway.

***

Zach made it to the Pine family Halloween party. Too bad if some suit missed him at the studio thing. There’d be other studio things, and other suits. There was only one Chris Pine. So he’d got himself a costume (giant fruit bat—hey, he liked the fur), and here he was, meeting Mrs. Pine (a squirrel) and Mr. Pine (a decidedly creepy Papa Smurf, blowing bubbles from his pipe).

“We’re so pleased you could make it,” Mrs. Pine said, going up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Our son talks about you a lot.”

“All good things, of course,” her husband said. “He’s just around the back, firing up the grill. I’ll show you.”

So Zach followed Chris’s dad through the stylish yet comfortably lived-in home, wondering if the tension he felt between them was just his own fervid imagination.

“Chris can seem flighty,” Papa Pine said as they headed down the back steps into a small crowd on the lawn, “but if you’re good to him he’ll stick by you through anything. So you take care and be good to him, won’t you?”

Zach swallowed. That definitely wasn’t a standard _hello, new friend of my kid’s_ speech. But it wasn’t quite a _you hurt him and I’ll break both your femurs_ one either. “Yes, sir.”

“And here he is! Christopher, I found this on the doorstep, I think he’s yours?”

Chris looked up, smiled. He was holding a sausage with tongs, and appeared to be dressed as The Fonz. “Great, you made it! Just in time to watch me burn some hotdogs.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Zach said, and helped himself to a seat on the low brick wall that bordered the barbecue area. He looked for Papa Pine, but he and his blueness had already disappeared back into the general milieu.

***

Zach was on a high from a project he’d co-produced being selected for a major international festival, so he hoped he could be forgiven for letting his feelings take over his mouth there for a bit. And for not waiting until the man had been in the door for three seconds.

“So, Chris, I have a confession to make. And I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.”

Chris looked up, frozen in the act of removing his shoe. “If you’ve found another dog walker, dude, you gotta let me down easy. You and Noah are my favourite clients.”

What an odd thing to make Zach blush. “I could never replace you, Chris. No, I just wanted to say that I, uh, really like you. In a please-may-I-take-you-out-for-a-romantic-dinner kind of way.”

“Oh.” Chris looked down, finished taking off his shoe, then the other one. Straightened up and swallowed visibly.

“If you don’t date guys, that’s fine, I understand. But you did tell me you were single, and I wondered why you would mention that if—”

“I date guys sometimes. And girls—women—sometimes. So I guess really I just date, you know, _people._ ” He scratched idly at the back of his neck. “I, uh, have a confession to make too.”

Zach’s heart sank.

“I, uh, kinda sorta wanted to be Noah’s other daddy. If you’ll let me.”

For an instant, Zach was completely frozen, couldn’t smile, couldn’t even breathe.

“I know I said I wasn’t a dog person, but Noah’s… he’s just… He’s Noah. He’s special, you know?”

Zach knew. “So you just want me for my dog, then?” he teased, more confident now.

Chris punched him in the arm for that, hard. Then he kissed him, enthusiastically enough to sear away all doubt. Noah whined, clearly unhappy at being ignored, but when Zach would have pulled away, embarrassed, Chris seized him by the ass and kept him close.

_Okay, then. Good._

***

Zach married Chris on a beach in March. Noah, illegally off leash, carried the rings in a pouch around his neck (and had to be chased down and captured when he decided he’d really rather tell off the incoming waves than play ring-bearer). It wasn’t a particularly large ceremony, or a particularly official one, but it worked for them. And afterwards? They all went walkies, to burn off the worst of Noah’s energy before they dropped him off at the sitter’s for the night.

“He’ll be fine with Zoe,” Chris assured him. “She’s excellent. And we have other plans.” He waggled his eyebrows. It somehow managed to look stupid _and_ adorable.

“I believe you. You’re my dog guy.”

“And you’re my Batman,” said Chris sweetly. And batted his eyelashes.

Zach, briefly transfixed by those eyelashes, decided that love was definitely a form of insanity, but one he was pleased to have caught. “Other plans, you say?”

“You’ll find out,” Chris said. “You’ll find out.”

***END***


End file.
